Empires Without Colonies: A History of Informal Imperialism

Are corporations having the power to act like states a form of imperialism? How about an empire bankrupting a sovereign state through predatory loans, or dominating cultural tastes beyond its borders? These questions are at the core of this seminar's subject: informal imperialism. We will question what informal imperialism is, and how it differs from formal colonial rule. Through weekly case studies, we will explore the concept of informal empire and related terms like semicolonialism, soft power, and neocolonialism. Topics include the East India Company, Ottoman Capitulations, the Haitian Indemnity of 1825, Chinese treaty ports, wine fraud in California, and international financial institutions like the IMF. Taking this comparative approach, our discussion will oscillate between readings about formal and informal imperialism with the goal of better understanding how informal empire fits into broader discussions about imperialism.